Title: Latter-Day Saint Perspectives on Atonement
Author: Deidre Nicole Green & Eric D. Huntsman
Publisher: University of Illinois Press
Genre: Religious Non Fiction
Year Published: 2024
Number of Pages: 328
Binding: Hardcover, Paperback, and eBook
ISBN-13: Hardcover: 978-0-252-04544-8; Paperback: 978-0-252-08755-4; eBook: 978-0-252-05505-8
Price: $125 (hardcover) /$35 (paperback) / $tbd (ebook)
Reviewed by Richard Ji for the Association for Mormon Letters
Latter-Day Saint Perspectives on Atonement, edited by Deidre Nicole Green & Eric D. Huntsman, is, as the title implies, a collection of essays with perspectives on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. This volume aims to bring:
“together multiple and diverse approaches to thinking about Latter-Day perspectives on the atonement of Jesus Christ in light of various books of scripture in the Latter-Day Saint canon, outside perspectives from both Western and Eastern Christian traditions, classical atonement theories, and contemporary reformulations of atonement theory” (p. 5).
The book is written primarily for two audiences: scholars with an interest in Mormon studies and mainstream Latter-Day Saints with an intellectual bent (p. 9). I fall into the latter audience. Hence, my review comes from the lay perspective of one without formal, scholarly training.
Perspectives is divided into two distinct sections. Part One, entitled “Scriptural and Historical Foundations,” lays the theological groundwork by establishing that there are diverse views of atonement, including within the Latter-Day Saint tradition. There are seven chapters within Part 1, starting with an attention-grabbing essay written by T. Benjamin Spackman, which lays out different meanings of atonement in the Old Testament. Next, Eric D. Hunstman takes the reader through views contained within the New Testament. The remaining essays discuss views of atonement in early Christianity, including the Middle Ages, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and among the Nineteenth Century Latter-Day Saint women. Part 2, entitled “Theological Explorations,” builds upon Part 1 by outlining “treatments of atonement in the Latter-Day Saint tradition’s distinctive Restoration scripture and discourse” (p. 6). Collectively, these essays seek to enable awareness and openness to atonement models beyond substitution and penal models commonly understood within the Latter-Day Saint faith tradition.
Most of the essays are written by well-known names within the Latter-Day Saint religious scholar community. These scholars include: T. Benjamin Spackman, Eric D. Huntsman, Ariel Bybee Laughton, Nicholas J. Frederick, Sharon J. Harris, J.B. Haws, Jennifer Reeder, Adam S. Miller, Fiona Givens, Benjamin Keogh, Joseph M. Spencer, and Deidre Nicole Green. Some of the essays have been previously published in some form, but all were written within the last several years. Each chapter has end notes. The book begins with Acknowledgements, Abbreviations, and an excellent Introduction. The book closes with a Selected Bibliography, thumbnail biographies of contributors, a General Index, and a Scriptural Index.
I believe Latter-Day Saint Perspectives on Atonement to be a consequential and important contribution to Latter-Day Saint studies. Spackman’s opening essay sets the tone for many ‘ah-ha’ insights that follow. In my opinion, this book mostly accomplishes its stated objective. When first exploring the possibility of reading this book, I wondered to myself, how many perspectives could there possibly be on such a fundamental doctrine. The book makes an irrefutable case for just how many legitimate perspectives there are. Furthermore, it makes a powerful case for divergent perspectives that seem to peacefully co-exist within the Latter-Day Saint tradition and opens the door to novel possibilities of what atonement means.
Although I found all essays to contain meaningful insights, I naturally found some essays to be more compelling than others. I found the chapters written by Spackman, Hunstman, Haws, and Givens to be most worthwhile. I felt these essays laid out robust arguments that not only provoked new understanding but also presented such arguments in a well-articulated fashion. These essays stayed focused on the core doctrinal aspects of atonement. The ‘mic drop’ of all essays for me was J.B. Haw’s essay, ‘“This Perfect Atonement”: Agency, Law, Theosis, and Atonement Theology in the Doctrine and Covenants.’ While Haws stayed on task with his core text, the Doctrine and Covenants; he expertly wove in scholarship from different faith traditions including the Latter-Day Saint tradition to form a coherent and compelling case for this perspective. I felt, his assessment was thorough and comprehensive.
Conversely, some essays were underwhelming to me. One in particular is ‘”Atonement” in the Book of Mormon’ by Frederick. While the author succinctly points out the various perspectives of atonement theology within the Book of Mormon, he chooses to limit his focused discussion only on material containing the word ‘atonement’ with its accompanying variants like “‘atoning” and “atone/eth” (p. 96) within this text. He does this to not risk “imposing too much upon the text” (p. 96). The analysis leads to the conclusion that the atonement is ‘rooted in Jesus’s divinity, death on the cross, and subsequent resurrection (p. 112). Hence, Gethsemane is a separate matter to atonement vs his death on the cross. Ironically, I found that the choice to evaluate the atonement with such a narrow lens did, in fact place too much risk on the text despite an objective to avoid that. The few scriptures cited were assessed literally and with interpretations that I felt lacked enough scriptural purchase to justify. 2 Nephi 2:8 is cited as an argument for atonement being limited to resurrection. That verse reads:
Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise.
I will leave it to the reader of this review to determine if they agree. While such a narrow analytical lens may be expedient, it risks being incomplete and hence, less helpful.
Perhaps a couple of essays missing from this volume are an analysis of statements made by modern-day prophets on the subject as well as atonement perspectives from the Pearl of Great Price. By and large, I found the essays to mostly utilize proof texts that excluded such works or provided anecdotal commentary to support the thesis of the essay. This may be by design to not overly burden the analysis with the bias of orthodoxy. But having these missing essays along with a Conclusion that tied the book together would have permitted the achievement of its stated objective more completely.
Each chapter assesses the subject matter of atonement through a unique and specific lens. The lens-by-lens methodology deployed in assessing Latter-Day Saint Perspectives on Atonement is constructive and useful to gain an appreciation of the broad range of interpretations that can and do exist in different time periods and among different groups of believers. The book seems to leave it to the reader to conclude for oneself the implications and conclusions that can be derived.
Many of the contributors have been or are associated with the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship and/or Brigham Young University. This ostensibly offers a high degree of credibility and trust among mainstream Latter-Day Saint readers. However, the choice of press for this publication seems to allow freedom for these scholars for expression of less conventional views without creating implied endorsement by the Institutions they represent. Thus, this work reckons faithful scholarship with dilations of thought.
This is a work that warrants careful and repeated study. It helps foster a less prejudiced view (one that defaults to penal and substitution theories) in favor of alternative and less violent perspectives.
I recommend Latter-Day Saint Perspectives on Atonement, edited by Deidre Nicole Green & Eric D. Huntsman for deep thinkers interested in this subject. This is not a light read, especially for non-scholarly individuals such as me. But one worth the effort if you are seeking to expand your thinking on core Latter-Day Saint doctrines such as the atonement.